April General Conference

     Every six months, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons) holds a General Conference broadcast to all members teaching basic doctrine from the Prophet and other leaders. Over 100,000 people attend the two-day event live in Salt Lake City, Utah while it is broadcasted over satellite connections, TV, and internet to 175 countries in 94 languages then later distributed across the world in print, video, and audio forms. Basically, General Conference is a giant meeting of the Mormon Church. The 183rd Annual General Conference occurred this weekend, with 27 different speakers with varying messages.

     The messages of General Conference are basically modern Scripture to the LDS Church. Speakers are not assigned topics, but ponder what needs to be heard and prepare talks to give.

     One of my favorite talks from this weekend was given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a retired German pilot, who serves as the 2nd counselor in the Presidency of the Church. He prefaced his talk by mentioning Johan H. Benthin's oil painting "Entrance to Enlightenment"showing light streaming through an open door.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/print/1992/10/arts-seeing-beyond-the-surface?lang=eng&clang=eng

     The light enters the room in a straight path, not encompassing all the darkness, yet still standing apart from it. In life, we often feel an impenetrable darkness surrounding us in our trials and tribulations. President Uchtdorf offered three steps to seek light in our lives. Step one is start where you are. None of us are perfect, and our feelings of imperfection that plague us can drag us down to a point where hope is diminished and our view of the future decreased. We must understand that perfection is inside none of us in our current states. We will stumble and make mistakes, but we must start where we are in our path to the light. The second step is to turn your heart to the Lord. Pray and plead with Him, expounding on your difficulties and worries. Seek to gain strength from Him. He will listen and answer your earnest prayers. Finally, walk in the light. Make choices that place you in the light and live up to your potential. The teachings in Scripture can guide us in the paths of light. Remember, darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Come to the light.

     General Conference always stands as an inspiring weekend of edification and instruction, an infrequent reminder of who we should be. The messages bring hope into conviction but as Sunday slips into Monday and one week turns into another, the messages often become lost in the business of life. Let us all remember to strive a little more to follow the things that inspire us, for being inspired is not enough without action.

     For more information on General Conference and to view or read any messages, visit gc.lds.org